WEBVTT
YOUR BEST B IS TO START
BUILDING UP YOUR IMMUNE SYST
NOW.
ELEVEN NEWS MEGAN PRINGLE
EXPLAINS HOW IN TONIGHT'S
WOMAN'S DOCTOR
MEGAN IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR.
: AS THE WEATHER GETS COLDER,
DOCTORS SEE MORE PATIENTS WITH
UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS.
DR. RICH UPPER RESPIRATORY IS
: THE COMMON COLD WE THINK OF
RUNNY NOSE, SORE THROAT.
MEGAN DR. JONATHAN RICH, A
: PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AT MERCY
MEDICAL CENTER SAYS EVERY YEAR,
PATIENTS WITH A COLD COME TO SEE
HIM, LOOKING FOR A QUICK FIX.
HE SAYS THAT'S WHY PREVENTION IS
SO IMPORTANT.
KEEPING YOUR HANDS CLEAN IS A
SIMPLE THING YOU CAN DO, BUT
REGISTERED DIETITIAN LEIGH TRACY
SAYS WHAT YOU EAT CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE.
MS. TRACY: ONE OF THE BEST
THINGS YOU CAN DO IS NOURISH
YOUR BODY AS A WHOLE.
SO THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS
, -- A VARIETY OF FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES, WHOLE GRAIN LOW FAT
, DAIRY, LEAN PROTEINS, AND ALSO
VITAMINS A, D, E, C>
MEGAN FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN FIND
: VITAMIN A IN FOODS LIKE SWEET
POTATOES, OR ORANGES.
SEEDS AND NUTS ARE PACKED WITH
VITAMIN E ADDING FOODS LIKE
, GARLIC, SARDINES AND OYSTERS
CAN HELP TOO, BUT IT'S NOT JUST
WHAT YOU EAT.
MS. TRACY: ALSO GETTING PLENTY
OF SLEEP 7 TO 8 HOURS A NIGHT
AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ABOUT 30

Rich said patients with colds come to see him looking for a quick fix.

"Antibiotics won't help,” Rich said. “Even if you get them and it's three to four days into it, it still won't help."

Rich said that is why prevention is important. He suggests preventative tips, including keeping your hands clean.

Leigh Tracy, a registered dietitian at Mercy Medical Center, said what you eat can make a difference.

"One of the best things you can do is nourish your body as a whole," Tracy said. “So those are the type of things (you should eat): a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean proteins and also vitamins A, D, E and C.”

Sweet potatoes and oranges are examples of food high in vitamin A. Seeds and nuts are packed with vitamin E.

Adding foods like garlic, sardines and oysters can help, too, but it's not just what you eat. Experts recommend that people get seven to eight hours of sleep a night and 30 minutes of exercise each day.